Fire hits Sarangani’s main public market

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -At least 11 stalls were burned down by a huge fire that hit the public market of Barangay Malandag, Malungon town in Sarangani province on Tuesday dawn.

Senior Fire Officer 3 Almon Palabrica, chief of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Malungon, said the fire erupted past 3 a.m. in one of the stalls at the public market and spread rapidly in adjacent structures, which were mostly made of light materials.

Palabrica said they received a fire call at 4:05 a.m. and immediately responded to the scene.

The BFP’s assessment is still ongoing but several stall owners placed the damage at around PHP500,000.

Palabrica said there were no casualties reported in the incident. The fire was declared under control past 6 a.m., but after totally razing the market stalls.

Citing accounts from witnesses, he said the fire reportedly originated in a stall engaged in buying and selling of copra and other farm products.

“But this is still under investigation. We’re looking at some evidence right now to establish the possible cause,” he said in a radio interview.

Malungon Mayor Maria Theresa Constantino, who responded to the scene, told reporters that the municipal government will provide the necessary assistance to the affected stall owners.

Constantino said they will help the barangay in the temporary relocation of the public market, and assured the speedy rehabilitation of the affected stalls.

Malandag is the biggest barangay of Malungon and an alternate trading center in the area. The village is being pushed by the local government to be converted as a municipality.